Dwarves, Mittelhelm (3.5e Race)

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Honorable, fair minded, hard-working and unyielding these terms best described the dwarven folk of the Forge. Dwarves, prefer the less offensive name of ‘Stouts’.

Dwarves and the Imperium have a long standing and deeply rooted alliance to one another, both species interact easily and Dwarvish is the second most common language spoken the world over.

The dwarven nation is ruled by the eight lords (or ladies) of the clans who together form the Lord's Moot under a ninth elected high lord (called the Lord Chancellor) who holds veto rights and serves as the deciding vote in any deadlocks.

The Dwarves control most mining rights in the mithral rich Stormkettle Mountains. Of the races, they are the leading producer of black powder weaponry.

Dwarves are naturally dense, compact creatures. They stand no more that 41/2 feet tall, but they have the breath and depth of creatures twice their height. Their arms are slightly longer for their height, their hands reaching down almost to their knees. Their torso and legs are in proportion to their height. Both males and females are heavily muscled with thick, well rounded limbs and broad shoulders and hips. The males favor growing their beards long and women typically braid their hair. Their clothing is functional and exceptionally sturdy. Metal is used as often as cotton or leather in their raiments.

Dwarven history begins with the eruption of their volcanic home, when the Father Forge birthed the world in fire and stone. The Father Forge is the name of their mountain fastness and it is their mother, their father and their god. Nothing is more cherished in the dwarven heart than their homeland. Their nation is sacred to them and their clerics have sanctified every league of their holdings.

Upon the mountain are about thirty two million dwarven souls living in nine great, fortified cities and no other nation can rival the grandeur of the dwarven mountain.

Each of their eight ancestral bloodlines commands one of the cities and the ninth, Cauldron which is suspended by thick diamantium chains over the volcano’s cavernous caldera.

The holy city of Cauldron contains the great temples, courts, schools, hospitals and the council chambers of the Lord's Moot as well as the residence of the Lord Chancellor.

The Dwarves of the Father Forge worship the deity for whom their mountain home is named. The Father Forge is a benevolent deity.
There are no graveyards on the Forge as all dwarves are cast from the holy city of Cauldron into the great lake of fire below, where they are 're-forged' by by their god. It is oblivion and the ultimate disgrace for a dwarf not cast be into the magma pool after death.

Medium-sized: Dwarves have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.

Dwarf base land speed is 20 feet. Dwarves can move at this speed even when wearing medium or heavy armor or when carrying a medium or heavy load (unlike other creatures, whose speed is reduced in such situations).

Darkvision: Dwarves can see in the dark up to 60’ ft. Darkvision is black and white only, but it is otherwise like normal sight, and dwarves can function just fine with no light at all.

Stonecunning: This ability grants a dwarf a +2 racial bonus on Search checks to notice unusual stonework, such as sliding walls, stonework traps, new construction (even when built to match the old), unsafe stone surfaces, shaky stone ceilings, and the like. Something that isn’t stone but that is disguised as stone also counts as unusual stonework. A dwarf who merely comes within 10 feet of unusual stonework can make a Search check as if he were actively searching, and a dwarf can use the Search skill to find stonework traps. A dwarf can also intuit depth, sensing his approximate depth underground as naturally as a human can sense which way is up.

Stability: A dwarf gains a +4 bonus on ability checks made to resist being bull rushed or tripped when standing on the ground (but not when climbing, flying, riding, or otherwise not standing firmly on the ground).

Warrior Race: All Dwarven children learn the martial arts, gaining the Weapon Proficiency feat and Weapon Focus feat in their clan weapons and the Brawl feat. See the Clan entries in Chapter XX: The World of 9fires for details on their traditional clan weapons. Their training is also defensive, once per round as free action the dwarf can designate one opponent and gain a +4 dodge bonus to Defense against the designated foe. Any time the Dwarf loses his Dexterity bonus (if any) to Defense, such as when he is caught flat-footed, he also loses his dodge bonus.